Monday, December 26, 2011

I hope everyone has been having a great holiday season so far! Yesterday I took the opportunity to unplug for a bit, and spent the day stuffing my face, playing Wii, and watching movies with my family. My cats already have more amusements than they know what to do with, so their holiday haul consisted of lots of extra attention in the form of hugs, kisses, grooming, playtime, and treats.

Technically, this is a Cat Hanukkah gift round-up for me, but having that as the title of this post didn't sound quite as snappy. I want to know what cool gifts my fellow cats lovers received (or gave to their kitties!), and also share some of the sweet presents I was given, below!

This beautiful coffee table book features gorgeous, full page photographs of 101 cats, along with the history, appearance, and color of each breed. A super cute way to help me on my quest of identifying every kind of cat by appearance, and way more fun than a plain ol' cat encyclopedia!

From: Donka, my friend and former roommate

Gift: Original etching of "Marilyn Monroe" Hemingway Home Cat by Isabel Cohen

While visiting Key West, Florida a few months ago, my friend visited the Hemingway Home & Museum, which is renowned for housing nearly 60 polydactyl (six-toed) cats. This thoughtful souvenir from the historical landmark features a colorful depiction of former feline resident, Marilyn Monroe, who resided at the house from 1986 - 2004. (True to her movie star moniker, she's also famous for making an appearance in the 1989 James Bond film, License To Kill.) I'm totally in love with this original print, and can't wait to hang it in a place of honor over my desk!

For the past few years, I've been able to look forward to my aunt giving me my yearly dose of cuteness through a kitten calendar, and this year she certainly did not disappoint! The calendar comes with a "mini" version too, so I can make sure I'm constantly surrounded by precious kittens, wherever I'm working from.

Last month, one of my readers named Jennifer, who runs the blog The Gracie and Peanut Diaries, offered to make me a necklace out of the fur of one of my cats. While it may sound strange to some, it was an offer I couldn't refuse, so I sent a Ziploc bag of Priscilla's hair off to her, and excitedly waited for my new jewelry to arrive. It came in the mail late last week, and I could hardly contain my excitement as I opened the package to find this beautiful piece, made out of a nickel chain, glass pearls, and cat hair! I can't wait to wear it out on the town, and will treasure it forever, as it contains an everlasting reminder of my first cat, who is also the inspiration behind this blog.

I should also mention that Jennifer has an Etsy shop, Miu Miu Wear, where you can purchase other pre-made cat hair related creations, or you can message her about making a custom piece of your own (I'm thinking about commissioning a pair of earrings to match my necklace!)

Extreme cat hair close-up!

Special thanks to Jennifer, and the rest of my friends and family for making this one fur-filled holiday season I'll never forget! Please share your favorite feline related gifts that you received this year in the comments below!